Tax Cap Attack

by Cal Skinner

I am stimulated by Chicago Tribune now freelance (used to be Education) reporter Diane Rado's Thursday article about the impact of the one-tenth of one percent increase in the Consumer Price Index and, hence, in property tax revenues for school and other tax districts in tax capped counties.

McHenry County Blog has written extensively about the effects of that unheard of low CPI and you can find links to the articles here, if you are interested.

Next week four of the tax cap busting bills are scheduled for the House and Senate Revenue Committees.

Diana Rado, who used to be the Tribune's best education writer until she met one of those downsizing problems, writes that

the one-tenth of one percent increase in the Consumer Price Index “ means most taxpayers can expect only slight increases in their 2009 tax bills, which are paid in 2010.“

She points out that tax referendums “not a very viable possibility in the current recession.”

Rado reports,

"One bill filed in the General Assembly in February would prevent the cap from falling below 2 percent. Another bill would allow the use of a different inflation measure in the formula—an employment cost index that tracks changes in labor costs—which could benefit school districts.”

I find 110 bills designed to gut the tax cap.

Two concerning allowing a minimum of a two percent increase in what schools can get each year, even if the CPI is less, are

• Rep. Art Turner's House Bill 2502 and


• Sen. Lou Viverito's Senate Bill 2126

Turner's bill has joint sponsors—Frank Mautino, Linda Chapa LaVia, and William Davis—from each of the House Democratic Party caucuses in addition to long-time Republican tax cap buster advocate school superintendent Roger Eddy.

Viverito has no co-sponsors, but he is Chairman of the Senate Revenue Committee.

Both bills are posted for hearing next week. The House hearing is Nest Thursday at 9 AM. The Senate hearing is at 2 on Wednesday.

Members on the House Revenue Committee follow:

Chairperson John E. Bradley D

Vice-Chairperson: Frank J. Mautino D

Member: Bob Biggins R

Member: Suzanne Bassi R

Member: Mark H. Beaubien, Jr. R

Member: Linda Chapa LaVia D

Member: Barbara Flynn Currie D

Member: Roger L. Eddy R

Member: LaShawn K. Ford D

Member: Careen M Gordon D

Member: Ed Sullivan, Jr. R

Member: Arthur L. Turner D

Member: Michael J. Zalewski D

The Senate Revenue Committee members follow:

Chairperson Louis S. Viverito D

Vice-Chairperson: James T. Meeks D

Member: M. Maggie Crotty D

Member: Susan Garrett D

Member: Mike Jacobs D

Member: Jeffrey M. Schoenberg D

Minority Spokesperson : Chris Lauzen R

Member: Bill Brady R

Member: Randall M. Hultgren R

Member: Matt Murphy R

By clicking on their names, you can find their phone numbers, if you wish to call them.

Other bills to worry about are

• Aurora's Rep.Linda Chapa LaVia's HB 2237, which would take pension payments out from under the tax cap.

• SB 1513, sponsored by Sen. James Clayborne of East St. Louis. Both are Democrats.

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St. Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia Speaks to Veterans at Camp Algonquin Stand Down

This may be the last time the Veterans Stand Down sponsored by Crystal Lake's NASA Education may occur at Camp Algonquin.

It's not because yesterday's event, the fourth at Camp Algonquin, was a failure.

Just the opposite.

The over 200 veterans, many homeless, filled the camp on the Fox River.

John Blanchard, head of the sponsoring organization, which specializes in finding good paying jobs for veterans, told me that the number of men and women attending the event is doubling each time.

This is the fourth Stand Down.

McHenry County Blog has written stories about each of them:

10-4-6 Veterans Stand Down Attracts 26 Homeless Veterans

3-7-7 Veterans' Stand Down Notes

10-7-7 Camp Algonquin Stand Down for Veterans to take place October 8 and 9

10-13-7 Manzullo at Camp Algonquin Stand Down

Headlining the event Monday was State Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, a Democrat from Aurora and veteran herself.

In her sixth term, she can be seen above talking to my former legislative assistant Pete Castillo before she addressed the veterans. Pete is the area unemployed veterans' counselor of choice.

The attendees were in various stages of eating a scrumptious lunch provided for free by Pontarelli's Pizza at the corner of Route 176 and Oak Street (815-477-4040) in Crystal Lake and by Kyoto Japanese Restaurant on Route 14 in Crystal Lake, next to the Old Country Buffet.

Blanchard said that Kyoto chef Shawn Lee, a Chicago resident, got up at 5 A.M. to make his bounteous luncheon fair, which I can attest from three helpings was excellent. Mrs. Chris Lee said it was a several day effort. (Less than half of the Lee's contribution can be seen to the left.)


The Lee's so generous contribution embodied the attitude of the volunteers that helped put on the event.

And coffee came from the Downtown Crystal Lake Starbucks.

But, back to State Rep. Chapa LaVia.

She surely knows how to talk to veterans.

After telling of her support for veterans benefits, she concluded with this strong line:

“...until I have no breath left to scream, I'll be saying that.”

I was taking pictures, as usual, and didn't get a chance to write down other parts of her talk.

Chapa LaVia received a rousing reception.

Earlier she had told Castillo and me that she was pushing federal congressmen to separate benefits veterans have earned from the Defense Department budget. This former Executive Office of the President budget guy agreed.

Castillo, Rep. Chapa LaVia and her husband met at the Million Veteran March, at which Castillo and she spoke and which he was one of the veterans leading the others up the mall to the United States Capitol.

When Blanchard was introducing Rep. LaVia, he said,

“Make sure you get around to the service providers.”

“Make sure they provide service.”

After lunch, I finally got a picture of the hair stylists.

Previously, I had just found empty chairs.

From left to right, you can see

• Marie Borre of Sports Clips Salon in McHenry,


• Kristina Weingartner of Blades Salon on Randall Road in Algonquin,


• Krissy Dougherty, also of Blades, and


• Nicole Borress, a third stylist from Blades.

I also found Lockport Healing Touch practitioner Karen Johnson.

I pointed out to Johnson that you can't get from here to Lockport. She admitted that it was a two hour drive. In two hours I can be more than half way to Springfield.

Guess whose head her hands were on?

McHenry County Board member Mary Donner.

She keeps telling me that I can never take a good picture of her. This one with John Blanchard received her approval.

Shortly before three Castillo and I were standing in front of the Camp Algonquin Lodge and what should occur but a traffic jam.

A veteran was coming down the hill in a powerful motorized wheel chair with a Jesse Brown VA Medical Center bus behind him.
There were vehicles everywhere.

And, was it foggy.

But, I guess fog is better than the earlier downpour.

Published first on McHenry County Blog.

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John Laesch Running In Congressional 14th - Announcing At Firedoglake Saturday

[Cross-posted at WurfWhile.com]

I recently suggested that 2006 Democratic nominee for the 14th Congressional District John Laesch did not seem likely to run in 2008. I based that partly on what I was hearing in early March, but things have gotten more definite since then. In the last couple of days I heard from two independent sources (one of them here) that John Laesch may be throwing his hat in the ring again - so I called John tonight and he confirmed that he will run for congress in the 14th district in 2008 (Laesch's 2008 campaign website is here).

John Laesch told me he will announce his entry into the congressional race Saturday, May 26 on the Firedoglake blog. He also plans to be at the DeKalb Democrats meeting this Thursday, and believes there may be other 14th Congressional candidates there too. Through the end of June, in addition to getting married (congratulations John!) he plans to fundraise. Campaign appearances will follow.

John Laesch will face Geneva attorney Jotham Stein in the Democratic primary and possibly Aurora State Representative Linda Chapa LaVia and Geneva businessman Joe Serra. While this may be the whole field, it's early enough that other Illinois Democrats may join the fray in the fourteenth.

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